It's fair to say that the Canon EOS R has had mixed reviews since its release earlier this year, and finding a balanced argument either way hasn't been easy. That's why this video from Steve Huff is refreshing in its honesty and objectivity and might just give you a different view on the EOS R.
Steve Huff is a self-confessed camera nut. He absolutely loves his gear, and through the course of this video, it's clear he owns a lot. He refers to his use and ownership of Sony, Olympus, Fuji X, Leica, and Hasselblad among others, so right off the bat, there's an air of objectivity in the way he presents his views. He also does it in a conversational style that is not technical at all, so you can really relate to what he's saying without feeling overwhelmed by any technical jargon.
In this video, he outlines 20 reasons he went out and bought the Canon EOS R. He also offers five things he really dislikes about the EOS R and the mistakes that Canon made with its release. One positive that really stood out for me, which I hadn't put a lot of time and research into, was the adapters that were released with the EOS R. Huff discusses the variety of native Canon adapters available for legacy lenses, including an adapter with a variable ND filter and an adapter with a CP filter you can easily drop in. This means you don't have to put holders on the front of your lenses or buy lens rings for all your different sized lenses in order to fit filters. You just slide the filter straight into the adapter and go from there. It's especially good for lenses where you can't put filters on the front, like the Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L.
Another positive that really pricked my ears up is the EOS R's compatibility with Canon EF-S lenses, which are designed for APS-C format cameras. When you use those lenses, the EOS R automatically switches to APS-C mode. This is very promising, because I currently shoot with both the 5D Mark IV and the 7D Mark II depending on circumstances. With the EOS R's capability to shoot in both modes with both sets of lenses, it potentially means I will no longer need two bodies. It also means I get to use some lenses that have been gathering dust since I switched over to the 5D Mark IV.
He pulls no punches with his dislikes either.That's evident when he's talking about the lack of in-body image stabilization (IBIS). He's unequivocal in his view that Canon should have included it. Sony has it, Olympus has it, Panasonic has it, and there's no reason that Canon should not have included it. Sure, it may be a relatively recent thing, but people want it, the technology's there, and Canon should have put it in the EOS R.
If you want a really good, balanced view from a user and owner of the Canon EOS R, then I highly recommend giving this video a thorough viewing. And once you have, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. Do you agree with him or are there other things you think he might have overlooked that you've experienced in your use of the EOS R? Comment below.
Well he's not wrong certainly. But that always struck me as kind of an edge case. How many people who buy interchangeable lens cameras use them for vlogging? Sure, some, but far less than use them for more traditional filming, right? I have an A7iii and the only time I wish I could flip the screen on the vertical axis is when I'm shooting portrait very low or very high. Which I would consider such an unusual situation that I can live without it.
It just strikes me as a somewhat complex feature to implement for a small percentage of the market. But the people who make YT camera reviews are firmly in that smaller demographic so the feature gets more airtime.
Haha perhaps not the most technical of descriptions but that’s what makes him more watchable to many people. And see how far you get with “articulating screen” with someone who’s not a camera/tech geek
Canon doing an 'influencer' push lately?
everyone and their second cousins....
Fantastic video and review. Result: No one needs to buy the EOS R camera because it does the same thing as the old Canon cameras.
Yes I have absolutely no intention of buying the EOS R but it did give a more balanced view for me than many others I’ve encountered. And shows promise for future Canon mirrorless releases
Regarding IBIS: " Sure, it may be a relatively recent thing". From what I remember and quickly Googled to confirm, Minolta introduced it on the DiMAGE A1 July 2003. And of course Minolta merged with Konica and then sold their camera division to Sony in 2006. So it's not a recent thing and Sony didn't invent it. Sony was smart. They deployed and refined IBIS. As for what Canon will do, who knows. If they lose enough money and customers they will have to change. I say that as a Canon shooter. But hot competition is great for the consumer and we all know why. ;-)
Considering the first camera dates back some 200 years, I’d say 15 years ago is relatively recent. Semantics perhaps, but the larger point is why Canon didn’t include IBIS with the EOS R
Cause Canon's in the lead with crop and full frame digital cameras overall, and leaders tend to rest on their laurels to milk the profits from their position?
I bet that lenses with optical stabilization can be sold for more of a profit than ones that don't plus each lens needs to have its own optical stabilization, so more profits since every lens needs to add the feature. Once there's IBIS, then all unstabilized lenses automatically become stabilized and for a lot of people it's good enough to not pay extra for lenses with optical stabilization.
I would unequivocally agree with everything you just said except that reports have surfaced in the last few days that Canon’s subsequent mirrorless bodies will have IBIS...
To me 1 giant and only reason why I won’t buy in to this system is because EOSR is behind in the technology and image quality department as Canon has been with its DSLR siblings for years by now.
As simple as that.
Considering no IBIS and lacking Eye AF you could be right....
I got the EOS R a few weeks ago and since Capture One 12 has come out I have had the opportunity to use it on several jobs. While I do agree with some of the gripes with this camera I think many people may be writing it off too quickly. This week I used it on two magazine portrait shoots, one in studio and another on location and I thought the camera performed very well all around. I used the eye detection through the EVF and it worked flawlessly ( literally not one missed shot ) in portrait scenarios and it was very nice to not have to do any reframing because it has so many auto focus points.
I will say I initially got this body as a backup because I sold my old backup body to an assistant but I can see myself using it regularly until a "pro" mirrorless body is released.
Thanks. It's comments like these that are starting to filter through more and more from people who are using the EOS R more and getting used to it. One thing's for certain, the outlook for future releases looks pretty positive.
Honestly I'm over all the negative reviews; mostly from people who haven't spent any significant time using it or are regurgitating the same "cons" over and over. At the end of the day this camera takes GREAT photos. And that's why I bought it. And it's even my main camera, as a pro-photographer! You can make money with a camera that has one card slot! And poops on 4k video. And doesn't have IBIS, something I've never had before. There's so much more to like about the camera than to not. Every respectable review I've seen of the camera basically say the same thing - "I'm surprised at how well it performs taking pictures!" One review with a well-known photog basically said it beat the Z7 and A7III in almost every test they did, but he would still recommend the Sony. Huh?
So for someone like me, who takes almost no video, and doesn't shoot sports, and does shoot mainly portraits and headshots; this is an incredibly accurate auto-focusing, 30 mp mirrorless camera, with fantastic color, that uses and improves upon all of my existing Canon glass. It was a no-brainer for me.
Great response. I can’t really argue with anything you said but your point that you mainly do portraits and headshots needs to be taken into consideration. But for people with a similar sutuation to yours (professional or otherwise) this is a great thing for them to read. Cheers
I know I'm in the minority here but I would have so loved to see this as an article instead of a video.
You mean from the original content creator? If so, he's a vlogger so....
Thanks. I'm aware and know that lots of people and maybe even most people love video. My issue is that videos all seem to be 26 minutes long and usually have a 3:30 introduction with music and graphics and a request to subscribe, and another 8 minutes of content within the video showing simply the vlogger's face. This is tough for me because time is tight since I have to get jobs out to clients every day. But as I said, I know I'm in the minority and have no problem with providers delivering on what most people want.
yeah personally I prefer reading but hey, I'm in my 40s.....I think videos under 10 mins are good and in this particular video some of the points weren't overly strong but he did bring up some things I hadn't considered. But 26 mins is pushing it a bit, I agree.
I love mine. Focuses in blackout conditions and works with every canon lens from the last 30 years except EOS M lenses (which aren’t exactly L quality to begin with).
Great shot
Regarding IBIS, I only find it useful for still life in low light, handheld (which is literally never as an event photographer. Obviously it helps video but I have a video camera for the little video I do shoot and it’s usually on a gimbal anyhow) I find IBIS a potential point of failure and would rather my sensor be firmly affixed (honestly!).